5 Financial tips for the third week of December 2013

Have a look at the 5 financial tips for the third week of December 2013.

Tip no 1: Don't get into a debt mess this Christmas. Use our free Christmas budgeting tool before shopping for your friends.

If you've set a target for yourself to avoid getting into debt problems in this Christmas, then make sure you use a free budgeting tool first. Determine the amount you can spend for your loved ones this Christmas. Introduce an envelop system to your family. Your family members may hate you for this, but they would appreciate your stance after the holiday season is over. Purchase gifts accordingly. Use more cash than credit cards so as to avoid unnecessary debt problems.

Your motto should be to stay on target rather than being on the target. Use cash to buy your Christmas gifts. If you don't have enough cash, then come up with some innovative ideas to delight your friends.

Tip no 2: Don't jump into the shopping bandwagon without checking out the pros and cons of various financing options.

Almost 70% of the retailers offer different kinds of financing options to consumers. On the basis of the deal, consumers pay a certain amount over a specific period of time until the the lumpsum comes due. However, most financial experts feel that the financing options are dicy since consumers often end up paying a lot more than what they would have paid for the credit cards. The terms and conditions of these financial options are often very tricky. The balance may increase if you miss one payment during the promotional period or are unable to pay off the debt within a certain time period. You'll have to pay more interest rate and that would burn a hole into your pocket.

Tip no 3: Get rid of your money owes quickly so that you can live happily and make others happy.

Like everybody, you can have debt owes. It's quite normal. Try to get rid of your debt owes as soon as possible. Browse through the Internet and read financial journals to know about the ways to come out of your problem. If you fail to solve your problems in any way, then ask for help from the people you can trust. Discuss your problems with the people you can confide in without hesitation. Listen to their suggestions and follow the ones that seem to be good.

Remember, once you've come out of your financial problems, you'd be able to lead a stress-free life. Who knows, you may be able to help others as well.

Pay your Christmas bills on time if you wish to avoid getting into debt in January. The number of debtors seeking help from the credit counseling agencies increases (by almost 25%) in the first two months of the year. Most of the debtors struggle to pay their holiday bills they have incurred during Christmas.

Many people think that they can avoid debt just by making the minimum payments. They don't count the extra bills for the holiday purchases. When you add the extra bills to the monthly credit card bills, the amount goes beyond the affordability of consumers.

Tip no 5: Want to have less stress and more freedom in your life? Lead a frugal lifestyle and keep debts at bay.

If you want to live on your own terms and conditions, then lead a frugal lifestyle. When you don't have to spend days and nights thinking about your unpaid bills, you've less stress in your life. You won't be compelled to do overtime at office. You can give more time to your family members and friends. You can spend money as per your will.

You have to make a certain amount of money every month when there are too much debt problems. This means you can't leave your job and start your dream business. You've no freedom only. This makes you depressed and sad.